With our shaggy jackets drawn about our shoulders,  我们肩上披着两件毛茸茸的外套,

we now passed the Tomahawk from one to the other,till slowly there grew over us a blue hanging tester of smoke, illuminated by the flame of the new-lit lamp. 就这么彼此互递着那支烟斗斧,直吸得我的头顶慢慢结挂起一个青烟的天盖,被刚点燃的灯光照耀着。

Whether it was that this undulating tester rolled the savage away to far distant scenes, I know not, but he now spoke of his native island;  究竟是不是这个起伏缭绕的天盖把这个野人直腾驾到那老远的地方,我可不知道,总之,他谈起他的故乡来了;

and, eager to hear his history, I begged him to go on and tell it.  我由于急想听听他的来历,就要求他说下去,说给我听。

He gladly complied.  他欣然同意了。

Though at the time I but ill comprehended not a few of his words, yet subsequent disclosures,  虽然一时间我还懂不了他多少话,然而,从陆续说出来的话里,

when I had become more familiar with his broken phraseology, now enable me to present the whole story such as it may prove in the mere skeleton I give. 我已比较能熟悉他那乱七八糟的语法,使我现在能够把整个故事轮廓如实地勾勒出来。